Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week we were asked to obtain the definition of culture and diversity from three friends.  I wrote to three colleagues; their definitions were similar to what we have been reading.  One aspect that we’ve studied that my friends spoke of was culture groups (Smidt, 2006).  Some of the examples from their definitions of what is culture: commonality among a group of people, their history, family, traditions, and their beliefs.

The one aspect that was omitted was the dominant culture.  My friends spoke of a mingling of various cultures embracing the differences of one another or multiple cultures interacting in an environment.  No one spoke of how the dominant culture might affect the individual cultures or how these individuals are encouraged to conform to the dominant views.

When thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity I found that my friends’ way of thinking was similar to my own thoughts.  Culture defines who we are as an individual, where diversity is where and/or we fit into the social cultural groups.  I believe that when we think of culture or diversity you have to remember that we are all different but these differences are what make us unique individuals.  The different cultures can provided for an awesome learning opportunity in our diverse classrooms.

My Family Culture

Three items that I would take with me to the evacuating country would be a small photo album, a cookbook and a ipod.   

I would explain that I brought the small photo album to show my children the ancestors and where they came from.  These photos cannot be replaced and represent passed memories of my family.  The cookbook would contain all the traditional family recipes that my mother, grandmother and other family members had cooked for me as a child.  The ipod would hold all the music that I enjoy listening to and the other songs from our country and era of the disaster. 

Upon arrive if I was told that I had to give up two of the items I would be devastated.  I would give up the cookbook and ipod as the photos could not be replaced.  The photos are a link to the past, present and future. 

The insight I gained is that I valued having pictures to remember family members that have since left us for a better place.  I can look at the photos and remember times we shared together and the things they taught me as I was growing up.

One insight I can say that I’ve gained from this course is that I don’t want to be a researcher for a career.  On a more serious note I’ve learned the importance of making sure the research focuses on the participant and their individual experiences. 

With the completion of this course I can say that I have more respect for those individuals who do research daily.  The course showed that there is a bigger picture than just reading articles, interviewing and reporting on data,  it’s looking for a result that can benefit others in the future (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, &Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). 

Research is a long process and not something that is completed over night.  The research in early childhood should be planned, designed and conducted to assist children in future programs. There should be a purpose behind the research. 

One challenge that I faced was developing a research question that was not bias to my influence and that could actually be researched.  The way I corrected this was to keep making changes as I learned more week by week.   

One of my perceptions regarding early childhood professionals has changed to a greater respect for the researchers who have explored numerous issues to assist educators in promoting a healthier environment for educating children.

References

Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010). Doing early childhood research: international perspectives on theory & practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

 

Research Around the World

For this assignment I selected to evaluate the early childhood Australia website.  http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

This site provides valuable information.  During my review I found myself clicking from one site to the next exploring.  The articles that are posted from their Research in Practice Series are quite interesting and are current with information.  Some of the current international research topics are: The inside story: Looking into early childhood teachers’ support of children’s scientific learning; Early childhood teachers' misconceptions about mathematics education for young children in the United States; Outdoor play: Does avoiding the risks reduce the benefits?; plus many more articles.

There is a web link on the site that takes you to a Child & Family WebGuide offered from Tufts University.  The site offers valuable information for parents regarding education, child development, health, medical sites, and asks an Expert.  Each one of these areas has numerous topics that break down with information from various institutions. Four times a year this organization puts out a publication on a variety of research issues called the Research in Practice Series.  These articles are designed for easy implementation when working with early childhood.  I found myself intrigued with some of the articles.

The site offers parents not only in Australia but around the world an opportunity to purchase materials to assist them with preparing to send their child to school.  The organization offers a membership for individuals internationally as well.

Reference

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au

Research that Benefits Children & Families Uplifting Story

My third year teaching my students and I had the opportunity to participate in a research project that involved working with dolphins.  A colleague was working on her Doctorate and wanted to find out the effects of an outside stimulant with special needs children.  At first the school district was reluctant to let us participant.  The district eventually gave consent when they realized that the data could provide valuable information on how to stimulate some of these children.  You must understand that most of my students were non-verbal and getting them to respond at times was quite a challenge.  The Doctorate student established an agreement and program with the local aquarium.  The aquarium had a special tank that they setup for us to use with the children and the dolphin, so that there would be no outside interference.  Some of the participants would attend visits to the dolphin with class and other times with a parent or guardian.  The study was very rewarding.  The children were asked to hand a block to the teacher/instructor and then they could touch or throw a ball to the dolphin.  At first we wondered if it would work as the children would not comply.  The Doctorate student had the dolphin come to the children and rub their leg, hand or arm to stimulate them.  The first time a child responded everyone at the tank cried.  After that it was incredible as to what these children would do to get to touch the dolphin.  We even had two children that jumped into the tank with the dolphin.  Children that were non-verbal and often non-responsive were now responding to a dolphin.  Within a few weeks their parents and I were able to get the children to respond to simple task when we showed them their picture with the dolphin and reminded them that they would be going back to visit soon.  This was the most amazing research project that I the opportunity to participate in and that had a positive outcome for all those involved.  The effects provided to be long lasting.  Two years later they started an equestrian program to see if it would have the same effect with the children as the dolphin.

Personal Research Journey

After reading the chapter and working with this week’s assignments, I can honestly say I’m glad my job is not researching.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy learning new about new topic that I can help my student’s parents or ideas that I can implement into my classroom.  I am not an analytical person and research is not an area that I am comfortable with completing.  The reading has introduced the process of researching a topic more formally than I was taught in the past (It has been a long time since I took classes).  I thought I knew what was entailed in research, I was mistaken.   I’m open to any suggestion and support that anyone can offer.  I wasn’t intimidated by research until I finished reading chapter 2.  So with that said, I am looking at this course as a challenge that with the strength of the Good Lord I can conquer.

While researching sites for our discussion topic this week I came across the Austrian site and found it to be very informative.  I plan on using it again for future research.  I look forward to sharing and exploring websites with my fellow colleagues during this course.

Final Blog Assignment

There are many consequences that I learned about the international early childhood field for a professional and personal development.  One in the UAE is that there are unrealistic expectations for Primary schools due to high competition and lack of school places.  The lack of schools is also seen in the Italian communities.  The second consequence is the lack of standards in both places and the fact that no one monitors what is in place.  The schools do their own thing in educating the children.  The final consequence is found in Italy where the teachers and administrators are not on the same page when it comes to trainings and the curriculum that is used in the school.

The goal for the field related to international awareness of issues and trends is that there is more of an understanding for the need of a set of standards for everyone to follow.  The spirit of collegial relations is that valuable friendships have been made, with whom we can share and exchange vital information with each other.  The ability to community with individuals from different parts of the world to learn how they teach or use some of their strategies for particular situations is awesome.  I have enjoyed conversing with my international contacts and learning about the different education systems.